Introduction

This chapter presents the basic elements of Habermas' theory and relating the contributions to three broad themes in global politics with which both they and Jurgen Habermas engage, namely, democracy, decolonization and religion. For Habermas, modernity challenges us to articulate norms for the coordination of our actions that go beyond both the instrumental and ideological norms of the modern and the purely conventional norms of the pre-modern. However, Habermas also considers the requirements of universal morality too demanding and those of particular ethics too plural to ensure social coordination, and hence places more emphasis on political coordination. Habermas thus seems to present his global system as both necessary to resolve fundamental global problems and incapable of achieving full democratic legitimation for the solutions that it might provide. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.